There’s no crying in running

A League of Their Own may have been talking baseball, but for me this past week, that movie spoke to my running 5,000 times over. Thank you Jimmy Dugan 😀

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“There’s no crying in [running]!”

But man, oh man, did I want to. Before even starting my run on Friday, I had pre-runner’s trots 🙁 And because of the trots, I ended up getting a much later start to the run putting me out there during the top scorcher hours. It felt as though I were running through a thick wall of heat! And for about 30 minutes following my first walk break, I felt as though I was shrivelling up like a slug out there. I couldn’t push my pace, I couldn’t catch my breath, the fuel I had ingested sat like a bloody lump in my belly, and my body was heating up, dripping with salty sweat. And because of the earlier washroom issues, I was not about to waste any of my liquids to cool down my skin.

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

The focus of Friday’s run was cadence. For 100 minutes I was instructed to keep my cadence up, my stride short and my foot turnover quick. FOR 100 MINUTES!!! That’s one hour and 40 minutes. There would be no slogging, no scuffling, no jogging. It was basically run fast or die… or, at least, that’s how I viewed it! So even when I felt like I was dying out there, my inner voice kept shouting: “GO! GO! GO! DON’T YOU DARE SLOW DOWN! DON’T YOU DARE WIMP OUT! DON’T YOU DARE QUIT ON ME! SHUT UP LEGS! YOU DO WHAT I SAY!”

I didn’t quite make it the full 100 minutes, as I was pressed for time with the late start, and it was either run the full time or get a good stretch in, not both. My body needed the stretch! However, I did do a 5-minute warmup before starting my watch timer, so I was pretty darn close.

FRIDAY’S LONG RUN:

  • 10:30 a.m. BG before: 11.6
  • Temp. basal: none
  • Carbs: granola bar 1/2 hour prior (14g) partial bolus
  • Time: 1:31:34
  • Distance: 16.03 km
  • Average pace: 5:43 min/km
  • Fuel: @30 minutes BG: 5.6 Honeystinger gel (blech!) @60 minutes BG: 6.4 1/2 Pocketfuel pack (yum!)
  • 12:45 p.m. BG after: 8.0

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”

Later that day, with my body and brain both exhausted, I collapsed on the couch. My shoulders ached, my hips ached, my legs, feet, and groin all ached. We didn’t have enough ice to cure the aches. I groaned. I whimpered. I whined. And my dear, “sweet” (note the sarcasm) Big Ring, looked at me with his best Jimmy Dugan scowl: “You’re the one who wanted to be a faster runner,” he said.

That was NOT the kind of sympathy I was looking for!

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And so, I started questioning my goals. Why do I want to be faster? Maybe I could just be a runner? I don’t need to be a fast runner? I could just, you know, jog, or something? Think of all the cute shoes you could wear again, your closet is full of cute shoes, what’s the point in having them if you never wear them? These thoughts? Really? Are you freaking kidding me? Yeah, no, that is NOT going to happen. You are not a jogger, you are a runner. You are not a 9-5er, put in the minutes effortlessly and be done with it, you are a hard runner. You suffer pain. You reap rewards. You do NOT give up!

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“[Running] is what gets inside you. It’s what lights you up, you can’t deny that.”

And being a faster runner is what I want – pain and all 😀

6 thoughts on “There’s no crying in running”

  1. “Don’t run, you’ll scare the chickens.”

    P.S. That’s an actual quote from the movie.

    P.P.S. Nice photoshop work 😉

  2. Awesome post!!
    the photoshops are kick-ass.
    I envy your kick to do these kinds of workouts. You couldn’t pay me to do that when I was running. All I wanted to do was just…. run. Nothing else. BUT… these bizarre workouts are going to get you to where you want to be… no doubt about that.
    Sorry about the trots 🙁 I instantly felt for you.

    Oh and don’t forget insane heat causes our hearts to beat way faster than normal.

  3. 100 Minutes! You sure are a glutton for punishment (I’m not so sure I could go 10). But you do reap the rewards indeed. I admire your dedication, as well as your photoshopping skills.

    1. I’m beginning to think I’m a glutton for punishment too… she says as she lays out her running gear for another early morning start!

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